OT: CJ Leslie helps fan in wheel chair up when fans stormed the court after NC State beat Duke

OT: CJ Leslie helps fan in wheel chair up when fans stormed the court after NC State beat Duke

Following NC State's upset of #1 and undefeated Duke, the students rushed the court. A fan in a wheelchair was knocked down in the chaos, NC State player CJ Leslie cleared a spot around the fallen fan and held him up until his wheelchair could be located.

Lane Kiffin allegedly told the orphans that he had 8 extra bedrooms in his home and that they could stay with him in their forever home. Then, allegedly, Lane Kiffin MURDERED them, just days before they were to move in.

I remember watching the game live and seeing the kid in the wheelchair rushing the court. Glad he got to experience something like and was able to participate. I'm sure even though he got knocked down it was worth it.

Roy Tarpley gave me a high five on the court, when we stormed it after beating IU by like 30 pts in the very last game of the 1986 season to win the B1G (when, you know, the Big Ten conference actually had only ten teams) and get a #1 seed.

OK I have no real reason for posting that here. I just remembered it when I read this article.

(I think I might have also patted Butch Wade's sweaty shoulder from the backside, too, but I don't believe that was any affirmative act on his part so I don't really put that in the same category.)

I've wasted enough of all your time now, I return you to your regularly-scheduled thread....

Butch Wade's sweat is a highly classified alternative energy source. You are one lucky individual. The only thing that could've made your experience better was to have physical contact with Antoine Joubert's hair.

It's great to see players exhibiting class, and possibly saving this fan from great bodily harm. It's also predictable that the larger websites didn't bother to cover the story. If he had a DUI, though, it would be a top headline. Kudos to Leslie and kudos to USA Today for the coverage.

Yeah, I saw them discussing this on PTI last night. Don't remember which one, I think it was Wilbon, was saying this was a dark spot on the night, and that they were inches away from a disaster. While I understand where he was coming from, I think it's safe to say that the kid will never forget that night. Granted, everyone would be singing a different tune if he had gotten trampled and injured, but I haven't heard anything saying he was pushed out there against his will.

This is a great story. It appears that no one was seriously hurt. The president of the student body rightfully admitted that pushing Privette onto the court was "the dumbest thing he's done in college". I think his heart was in the right place, but obviously not a good idea. Privette's got one hell of a story though.

Definite respect for Leslie. It's nice to see stories that show the good in college athletics/athletes. There are enough examples of the other.

but I sort of think it was incredibly stupid. The guy could've easily gotten trampled and injured (or killed?) in the melee

For what it's worth, Privette agrees with you. He's 20 or so and he's spent his whole life in the wheelchair. He's a huge sports fan (He keeps stats for the baseball team) and I think he just wants to join in the fun once in awhile. He's in a wheelchair because he was born with deformed legs.

I think he just wanted to play with the rest of the kids for once. I can't imagine how isolating it must feel to constantly have to sit on the sidelines. Watching thousands of your peers engage in an orgy of pure bliss....do you want to join in? Of course!

Yeah I don't doubt that he loved getting to go in there. I just remember when I saw him flying in there at the end of the game I thought 'holy crap that guy is going to die.' Glad he got the experience, but if he was my kid I would've given him the 'You could've gotten yourself killed!!" lecture

The click-through story on USA Today talks about Privette's background a little bit, right down to how he claims to have missed only one Wolf Pack hoops game this year and plans to go to the remainder of the home games. Even though Privette was in danger, it was touching somehow - especially when he continued cheering as Leslie held him, waiting for the wheelchair to be located. I found that moving in a way. A very awesome story and major props to C.J. Leslie.

Great story and all, but you have to wonder what a dude in a wheel chair is doing rushing the court in the first place. Now, if he called Tom Kruse and were in the Hoveround it would be a completely different story.